ICI Viewpoints

The Investment Company Institute (ICI) has spent the last year reimagining and refashioning ICI Global, but our mission remains the same: to strengthen the foundation of the global asset management industry for the benefit of long-term, individual investors.

For the asset management industry, there may be no greater growth opportunity than in Asia. The region has been leading the way in adopting new technologies to reach and serve entirely new groups of retail investors. Asset managers and policymakers in Asia are also responding in an agile and pragmatic fashion to growing investor demand for sustainable and transition finance. And the diversity of circumstances and approaches among jurisdictions across Asia provide valuable opportunities for innovation and knowledge sharing, further strengthening the industry to meet the needs of the full range of individual investors.

At ICI Global, we are sharpening our focus on key cross-border issues affecting our members and the industry, connecting the dots between developments and challenges across jurisdictions, and offering policymakers a global perspective on the intersection of regulation in Asia, the United States, and Europe. 

That’s why last month, ICI Global was thrilled to host our first major in-person event in Asia since the pandemic, the Asset Management Asia Forum (AMAF). The AMAF brought together senior industry leaders and regulators from a range of jurisdictions for in-depth discussions on the key trends shaping the future of the asset management industry in the region.

The day was headlined by Commissioner Mark Uyeda of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who offered his perspective on the links shared by capital markets in the United States and in Asia. He also stressed the ways in which asset management differs from banking, and cautioned regulators and standard setters, including at the Financial Stability Board, against the imposition of bank-like regulations on non-bank entities.

We also were pleased to be joined by Dan Watkins, CEO of Asia Pacific, J.P. Morgan Asset Management for a fireside chat with Eric Pan, ICI’s President & CEO. The AMAF panels on sustainable finance and on opportunities from digitalization included representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).

As we work steadfastly at ICI Global to carry out ICI’s mission, I am excited to take forward our engagements in Asia.

Please explore our AMAF speakers and take a look at some of the photos from the event.

• SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda Remarks